Improvement in wrenches



UNITED STATES.

PATENT FFIOE, J

nnninson nnoon, or INDIANAPOLIs, INDiANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN WRENCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,254,V datedJa'nuary6, 1874; application filed June 18, 1873.

Vsh all be more rapid, powerful, and convenient in its operation thanthose heretofore made or known 5` and consists, first, fof anoscillating lever and a socket for embracing a nut, incon- .neetion withcertain ratchets, pawls, and cogwheels, so arranged that both theforward and backward oscillations of the lever cause the socket torotate in the same direction, all suital'ilymounted in aframe andadapted to be used upon a rail or Vrails for turning nuts uponVtrack-bolts; second, in so constructing the ratchet and' cog wheels,and arranging them in relation to the lever and the socket for embracingthe nut, that the movement of the lever in one direction will impart tothe nut a slow, powerful movement, a-nd the movement of thelever in theopposite direction will impart to the nut a more rapid but less powerfulmovement in the same direction; third, in the construction andarrangement of the socket for embracing the nut in a case so constructedand arranged in relation to the other parts of the machine that thesocket may be adjusted,

l and applied to, and removed from the nut while the other parts of themachine are at rest upon the `rail 5 fourth, in so constructing andadapting to a rail a wrench for turning nuts upon track-bolts that itmay be easily and conveniently propelled along and upon the rails frombolt to bolt, and from joint to `joint, and stopped, and thereby madesecure to the rail while turning the nut; f1ftl1,in a

clamping device for fastening the wrench to j the rail.

Figure 1, in the accompanying drawings, is a side elevation of myinvention attached to the rails R, which are connected bythe splicebarsS, which are held in place by the nuts n u n n. Fig. 2 is a plan. Fig. 3is a partial `rear elevation, showing the clamping device. Fig. 4 is thesocket-wheel, shown in detail, A being a front elevation, and a a sideelevation. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the ease in which the socket Ahas its bearings, and alsoa partial view of one ofthe wheels whichconveys cog-wheel C, with the ease B, carrying the socket-wheel A, isplaced upon the shaft b, Fig. 2, which has its bearings in the fralneK,`The construction at this' point issueh that the case B, withitscontents, may be movedlaterl ally in relation to the frame K andother parts, for the purpose of placing it in position on the` nut andrelu oving it therefrom while the other parts of the machine are at restuponthe`rai1, and it is also free to move in a rotary manner around orpartially around the shaft I), for the purpose of adjusting the socketvertically to the varying position of the nuts on idifferent rails, andalso to admitof swinging the case and socket into the space P, Fig. 2,when not in use. A cog-wheel, E, having upon a por-` tion of itsperiphery a double Iset of ratchetteeth, facing in opposite directions,12, Fig. `2, iswso placed on a shaft in the frame K that its cogs willengage with those of the wheel C when the socket-wheel A is in positionfor turning the nut. to the wheel E, but differing therefromin this,that the portion of its. periphery having cogs is smaller in diameter,`is placed opposite it, and between them is placed the lever D, Figs.v

1 and 2, bearing upon Vits sides the double pawls l and e, which engagealternately with the wheels E and F as `the lever D isoseillated on itsfulcrum, which is concentric' withthe` wheels E and F. A shaft, h, isprovided, on which is fastened the cog-wheel I, which engages with thewheel E, and the cog-wheel H,

which engages with the wheel F through the intermediate wheel G. `Acrank, m, is attachedv tothe shaft h, by means of which the nut may beturned without the use of the lever Dwhen but little power is required.The wheels Jj, :having flangeswhieh projecten each side of the rail R,are placed on suitable shafts in the frame, and serve to support andkeep the ma- Another wheel, F, similar chine in position on thc rail,and also provide a means for moving it easily along from joint to jointand from bolt to bolt.

It is obvious that wheels without flanges might be used, and the flangesor guides attached to sonic other part of the machine, as the frame; orthe wheels might be dispensed with altogether, and the machine, held inposition and guided by the flanges, or their equivalent, might be,slidalong upon the rail; but I-prefer the method here shown.

A clamp for fastening the machine rmly to the rail While turning thenuts is attached to the rear end of the frame K, or in any othersuitable position; and consists of the jointed levers L, Figs. 1 and 5,connected at their longer ends by the notched bar c, to which thecam-lever f is attached. A spring, 3, Fig. 2, serves, by contact withthe head of the track-bolt, to keep the bolt from being pressed out,when the socket is applied to the nut, and also to indicate, by itsposition on the head of the bolt, when the machine is in proper positionfor stopping it in its passage along the rail.

The manner of operation is as follows: The wrench or machine having beenplaced upon a line of rails, it is run forward upony the rails until thespring 3, Fic. 2, comes in contact with the head of a track-bolt. Thelong arms of the jointed levers L are then. brought toward each other,which closes the short arms or jaws upon the rail'. The notchedconnecting-bar c, Fig. 3, is then slid along through the slots, in whichit rests until the cam-1ever f, presenting the thin side of its cam, isbrought against one long arm, and one of the notches drops over aprojection on the other. The cam-lever is now pressed down and the jawsare drawn forcibly together on the rail, thus fastening the machinesecurely to the rail. The case B, with its socket-wheel A, is now swungdown out of the opening P, where it had rested, and is moved laterallyuntil the socket embraces the nut, which is upon the bolt, and thecog-wheel C engages the wheel E, where it is held by the cap o droppingdown over the end of the shaft b. The lever l) now being moved in onedirection, the pawl e engages one of the ratchets in the wheel F,carrying it with the lever, and thus giving, with great power, throughthe connectingwheels and socket A, a slow rotary motion to the nut. Inmoving the lever D in the opposite direction, the pawl l engages one ofthe ratchets in the wheel E, vcarrying it with the lever, and thusrevolving the nut in the saine direction as before, but with increasedspeed and less power, thus giving an alternate slow and fast motion tothe nut, and enabling the Operator to turn the nut on or off quickly,and

also giving him power to force the nut'ovei rough places on the bolt,and to set it firmly to its bearing. This is accomplished in thefollowing manner: Whenever a rough or uneven. place in the threads,either of bolt or nut, is encountered in turning the nut off or on thebolt, or when the nut comes to its bearing, the rapid motion may bedispensed with at will by raising the pawl d out of connection with theratchet on E, and using as long as may be necessary the slow powerfulmovement.

When two nuts are used on one bolt, as is mostfrequently the case, aftertheirst nut has been turned onto the bolt so far that the end of thebolt projects slightly through the nut, the second nut is introducedinto the socket and turned on at the same time with the rst. Vhen thefirst nut comes to its bearing, it becomes necessary to turn the secondnut without turning the first, in order to set it firmly against thefirst. This is accomplished by moving the socket and its case laterallyaway from the first nut until the socket will revolve clear of it. It isretained in this position by the cap o falling into a groove in theshaft b, and the second nut is then revolved, by the same means asbefore, until it sits firmly against the rst. By reversing the positionof the pawls d and e-that is, by turning them over, the other sideup--they will engage with the sets of ratchet-teeth on the wheels E andF which were before idle, and the same motions of the lever which beforeturned the nut on will now turn it off the bolt.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The laterally and verticallyadjustable case B, provided with the cog-wheel A, having a nut-orice,and the cog-wheel C, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the cog-wheels E F, both having a double row ofratchet-teeth, facing in opposite directions, and mounted upon a shaft,with the lever D, reversible double pawls d e, and the wheels O A in thesuspended case B, all substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination of the frame K and the front and rear flanged wheelsJ j, or their equivalents, supporting a mechanism for'turning nuts on arailroad-rail, as set forth.

4. The combination, with the frame K, of the pivoted cross-levers L L,notched connecting-bar c, and cam-lever f, for holding the movable frameand its nut-turning mechanism rigidly to the rails, substantially as setforth.

HARRISON P. Hoon.

